The United States and its allied forces have executed extensive strikes against Islamic State (IS) group sites in Syria, as reported by the US Central Command (Centcom).
President Donald Trump ordered the strikes on Saturday, which are part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, as a response to an IS attack that killed US forces in Syria on December 13, according to Centcom’s post on X.
Centcom indicated that the strikes were aimed at fighting terrorism and safeguarding US and allied forces in the area.
“Our message is clear: if you target our troops, we will track you down and eliminate you anywhere globally, regardless of your efforts to escape justice,” Centcom stated.
US and partner forces launched over 90 precise munitions targeting more than 35 locations in an operation involving over 20 aircraft, an official informed CBS News, the BBC’s US collaborator.
The official specified that aircraft including F-15Es, A-10s, AC-130Js, MQ-9s, and Jordanian F-16s participated in the operations.
Details regarding the locations of the strikes and the number of any casualties are currently unavailable.
“We will always remember, and we will not back down,” Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X on Saturday in reference to the military action.
The Trump administration first revealed Operation Hawkeye Strike in December following an IS gunman assault that resulted in the deaths of two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter during an ambush in Palmyra, in central Syria.
“This is not the start of a war – it is a declaration of retribution,” Hegseth remarked during the operation’s announcement in December.
“The United States, under President Trump’s guidance, will never hesitate or waiver in defending our citizens.”
Before the recent strikes on Saturday, US forces had killed or captured nearly 25 IS members across 11 operations from December 20 to December 29 as part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, according to Centcom.
In the operation’s initial mission on December 19, US and Jordanian forces executed a “significant strike” against the IS group, employing fighter jets, attack helicopters, and artillery to target “over 70 locations in various areas of central Syria,” Centcom reported.
The operation, they indicated, “utilized more than 100 precision munitions” aimed at known IS infrastructure and armament sites.
Syria has been in a precarious condition since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, effectively concluding a civil war that devastated the nation for 13 years.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has been the country’s leader since his rebel faction displaced Assad and consolidated power.
Although IS has been diminished in Syria, it remains operational, primarily targeting Kurdish-led groups in the northeastern region in 2025.
